The temperature in the Rayburn Building hit boiling point today. Pam Bondi, the former Florida Attorney General, found herself in the crosshairs of a fired-up House Judiciary Committee. The subject? The Epstein files. The probe into the disgraced financier's network has become a political grenade, and Bondi was caught holding it.
Let me give you the flavour. Bondi, a Trump ally, was defending her 2013 decision not to pursue state charges against Jeffrey Epstein. Her office had been handed a gift-wrapped case: a Palm Beach grand jury indictment, a stack of evidence. But she kicked it to the feds. Why? That is the million-dollar question.
Democrats on the panel smelled blood. 'You took a pass,' charged Rep. Jerrold Nadler, the committee's top Democrat. 'A registered sex offender with a network of enablers. And you let him walk.' Bondi, cool as a Florida orange, shot back: 'The evidence was federal. My job was to ensure it reached the right hands. It did.'
But here is the rub. The 'right hands' argument has a hole. The feds brokered a sweetheart deal in 2008. A federal prosecution that let Epstein plead to state charges, serve 13 months in a work-release program, and register as a sex offender. Critics call it a slap on the wrist. Bondi insists she had no control over that.
Then came the zinger. Rep. Matt Gaetz, a Florida Republican and known Bondi ally, pivoted to the present. 'This hearing is a circus,' he thundered. 'We should be investigating the FBI's failures, not a state prosecutor doing her duty.' The room erupted. Bondi nodded, a faint smile playing on her lips.
But here is what the Lobby is whispering. Bondi's ties to Trumpworld are a liability. She chaired the Trump campaign's legal advisory board. She defended him during the first impeachment. And Epstein was a known associate of Trump's. The optics are terrible. Even some Republicans concede privately that Bondi is a lightning rod.
The key takeaway? This probe is not going away. House Republicans, led by Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan, want to use the Epstein files to bash the DOJ. Democrats want to hang it around Bondi's neck. Either way, it is a gift to the chattering classes.
I caught up with a former Justice Department official afterwards. 'The Epstein case is a graveyard of reputations,' he said. 'Everyone who touched it came out dirty. Acosta. Bondi. Even the FBI. The only winners are the conspiracy theorists.' He is not wrong.
What next? Expect a flurry of subpoenas. Jordan has already hinted at calling former FBI officials. Bondi will likely be called back. And the Epstein files themselves? They remain classified. But leaks are inevitable. The Game is just beginning.
One final thought. Bondi's defence today was lawyerly, not political. She stuck to process. But in Washington, process is never the whole story. The subtext is power. Who protected Epstein? Who looked the other way? Those questions will hang over this town like a fog.
For now, Bondi has survived round one. But the committee is a hungry beast. It will want another bite.
